Victor Hugo’s epic masterpiece, Les Miserables, was a commercial success from the start, despite the nitpicking of critics and the opposition of the Catholic Church. Published in 1862, it was immediately translated into English and was so popular in the United States (which at the time were not so united) that the soldiers of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia began calling themselves Lee’s Miserables. The story has not lost its popularity over the years, and is probably best known today from the long-running musical play and the 2012 movie than from the original book.
But you’re missing something if you haven’t read the book, because Hugo knew how to write a story. You’ve seen the play; you’ve watched the movie, now read the book.
Little subtlety
Like his English contemporary Charles Dickens, Hugo knew how to write a tear jerker and his work is anything but subtle. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, for example, is a great book evoking gothic Paris and has been adapted in movies many times. But it is so heartbreaking that it is hard to read more than once. Les Miserables is a more sprawling book. It has plenty of pathos but without the bleak climax, so that it can be read again and again.
It covers a 17-year period, from 1815 to 1832, which gives the characters time to mature. In the romantic tradition, most of the characters do not evolve much—the protagonists are good and the villains are bad. But the two main adversaries, Jean Valjean and the implacable Javert, provide enough complexity to keep the story moving through all of its digressions for nearly 1,500 pages.
The story centers on Valjean, a poor man imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread who escapes and is reclaimed by the faith of an upright man. He represents the potential and perfectibility of man. His nemesis, Police Inspector Javert, rigidly moral and relentless as a bloodhound, represents state-sanctioned justice. The tale is a struggle between the justice of man and the higher justice of God (or what moral power you prefer). In the end, neither wins out completely. The struggle continues today.
But don’t get the impression that the book is some kind of religious tract. It is an exciting tale of assumed identities, hairbreadth escapes, agonizing setbacks, breathless suspense, bravery and sacrifice. And love. Lots of love. Valjean’s mission as a benefactor to the most vulnerable of mankind is personified in his adoption of Cosette, the waif whose image has become the logo for the popular musical play.
History is character
Hugo was a politically active writer who wrote the book while in exile. He loved his native France, and the city of Paris is itself a character in both The Hunchback and Les Miserables. Action often is determined as much by the architecture and plan of the city as by the people who live in it. Hugo was acutely aware of his nation’s history. Fifty-nine pages of Les Miserables is a flashback devoted to the Battle of Waterloo. I’m no expert, but this detailed account is one of the best descriptions of a battle that I have read. For those interested in Napoleonic history, the book is worth reading for that section alone.
This book is not a fast read. You won’t finish it in a single sitting or over a weekend. But if you have a long vacation planned next summer or you are more interested in sitting in front of the fire than the TV on these long winter nights, Les Miserables is a good way to fill both the hours and your mind.
The book was banned by the Catholic Church when first published, so you know it must be good. It is available in many editions today and you shouldn’t have trouble finding one at your local library or bookstore. But make sure you get an edition that is unabridged. It is easy to cut a book this size, but what’s the point? The hours you save are just so many hours of entertainment lost.